GPEx Chair

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I have been a member of the Green Party for more than forty years, and have held office at all levels.

I have been a local party coordinator, firstly for Richmond & Twickenham Green Party and now for West Devon Green Party. I was Co-Chair of the Green Party Council in the 1980s; in London I managed the first elections to London Assembly in 2000, and later worked with the Green Assembly Members on the first Greater London Authority. I later served on GPEx as Elections Coordinator, managing the 2010, 2015 and 2017 General Elections, as well as our final European Election before Brexit. More recently I was the South West Region’s rep on Green Party Regional Council, serving mainly on the Appeals Sub-Committee, and have a proven track record of coordinating and managing diverse teams to achieve given goals.

I have also been a candidate in local, county, European and general elections, and am a Parish Councillor in West Devon. I have considerable management experience, both inside the party and out, and have chaired many meetings from large conferences to small committees, both in face and online.  I know my way around the Party and understand almost all the idiosyncrasies of how it works and how things might be improved.

The Executive Chair has responsibility for overseeing the governance and functioning of the Party. In order to do this all the individual components of governance must work efficiently, supporting each other in accordance with our principles and values.

We are a much bigger party than when I first joined, and there are inevitably tensions and differences, but our values and our aims remain the same. I firmly believe that disagreement is a good thing; it allows us to evolve with the times, develop mature policies and robust systems. If elected, I will strive to support those parts of the Party that work, but also to tackle the bits that don’t. Because I have no doubt that by helping all parts of the party to work cohesively we will progress together and we will win, together.

So, these are my eight promises:

1. Work with other governance bodies to enable us harmoniously, to achieve the party’s strategic goals;
2. Work with the Finance Coordinator/Treasurer to help them overcome financial pressures;
3. Support GPEx colleagues and staff in their endeavours, offer advice and help untangle knots where necessary;
4. Ensure the Party always operates within the law, even though we may campaign to change the law;
5. Ensure disciplinary systems adhere to process and do not bring the party into disrepute;
6. Support Local Parties, Regions and Special Interest Groups;
7. Ensure the party is a welcoming place for all who adhere to our values, our aims and objectives;
8. Always be available to colleagues and members, responding swiftly to correspondence.

Please check my website for a message from me and how I will work to help us all win more, together.

Contact Details

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I am standing for re-election as Chair of the Party Executive. Three years ago, members entrusted me with this key role in the Party’s governance team. Prior to that, I spent four years as our Party’s national Treasurer.

When I joined the Executive in early 2019, the Party had 38,700 members, an income of £2m, 178 Councillors on 69 Councils, and one MP. I’m proud to have been part of the team that has seen such dramatic growth over the past six years – 20,000 new members, more than doubling our income and quadrupling the number of elected Greens.

Professionally, I served as the Green Party’s first Chief Executive prior to the election of Caroline Lucas as our first MP in 2010, then spent a decade as CEO of a co-operative, youth-led charity. My current job is working for a campaign to end UK arms sales which fuel conflicts around the world.

In a voluntary capacity, I have over 25 years experience chairing the boards of member-led campaigning organisations.

The role of Chair is to facilitate an effective Party Executive to ensure the delivery of the Political Strategy agreed by members at conference. In short, we need to make sure that the infrastructure is in place to support getting more Greens elected, to bring about positive change in our communities and across our two nations.

We’ve made huge progress over the past few years, and that gives me the confidence that we can aim even higher.

I see three priorities for the Executive as we prepare for crucial elections to the Senedd, to Councils and Combined Authority Mayors, and the next General Election.

1. Ensure that our membership, candidates, and those serving on our governance bodies, reflect and represent the communities that we serve. We’re making progress, but the multiple crises we face demand that we go further and faster.
2. Increase the resources available to support our elected representatives, candidates, local parties and the central infrastructure that enables both the achievement of our political objectives and our internal democracy. In order to do this we need to double our membership and double the Party’s income (again).
3. During this period of rapid growth and change, we need to ensure our governance meets the needs of the Party now – it’s time to (finally) replace the 1989 constitution with something fit for the current moment. And amidst all this change it is vital that we remain true to our Green values and maintain our grassroots, member-led, democratic and inclusive culture.

“Jon’s years of experience of governance both as a CEO and as a chair make him a strong candidate to chair GPEx as our party seizes this extraordinary political moment, building on our rapidly growing membership, increasing base of councillors and our four MPs.

“Jon knows the Green Party inside out and I can’t think of anyone more reliable to take on the role.”

Caroline Russell, Leader of the Greens on the London Assembly

Please make JON NOTT your FIRST PREFERENCE for CHAIR.